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The Most Thrilling Encounters in the EURO Playoffs so far

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Several matches in the UEFA EURO playoffs are worth remembering for their thrilling encounters.

The EURO 2024 playoffs are underway. Six teams will be fighting for the remaining three spots in the summer tournament in Germany. They have been seeded in three paths based on their results in the UEFA Nations League 2022/23 as well as the EURO 2024 qualifiers. Robert Lewandowski’s Poland and Ukraine are among those six sides who are set to play in the playoff final next Tuesday, March 26th.

The current playoffs are staged in a final-four format, starting with the semifinals. Since two-legged games were discontinued, more drama, thrills, or even goals galore are expected. Should the games end in a tie, extra time and a penalty shootout will be used to decide the winner.

Some remarkable games have occurred over the history of the EURO playoffs, which began in 1995. Some established teams, such as England, the Netherlands, Spain, and Portugal, previously had to take such a path to seal the remaining berths in the final round. Here are the most thrilling encounters in the EURO playoffs so far.

England vs Scotland (Euro 2000 playoff)

The Battle of Britain took place in the EURO 2000 playoff. Both teams were drawn to square off for one spot in the final round. England had to go through this stage following an underwhelming campaign in the qualifications. They only finished second behind Sweden. The first leg in Hampden Park demonstrated how Alan Shearer and Co. were forced to struggle to keep the home side at bay most of the time. They were mainly forced to sit back with occasional counterattacks or build up the attack, relying on David Beckham’s cross to the six-yard box. The Tartan Army, on the other hand, dominated the game, but they lacked a clinical finish. Kevin Gallacher wasted several opportunities despite England’s disorganised defense. The duo frontmen, Alan Shearer and Michael Owen, were kept quiet almost the entire game. England finally broke the deadlock through Paul Scholes’s brace. The first one was taking advantage of Sol Campbell’s long cross from the back. The former Manchester United man controlled the ball with his chest before slotting it home. The second one came from his bullet header, preceded by David Beckham’s free kick at the edge of the right sideline. The Three Lions snatched a poor 2-0 win on the road. 

The second leg in Wembley was no different. In fact, England’s form was even worse. Alan Shearer, Jamie Redknapp, and Michael Owen literally wasted the chances. Beckham had one attempt from his typical free kick, but his shot was only whiskers away. Kevin Keegan’s men were once again not superior compared to Scotland. They eventually paid their price after Don Hutchison headed it home in the 39th minute. Craig Brown’s side was more confident in the second half and still in control of the game. They could have forced extra time if Christian Daily’s header had not been denied by David Seaman or Barry Ferguson’s long-range shot had not flown wide. Scotland snatched a narrow 1-0 win, but it was not enough for them to go through. England was merely lucky to qualify for Netherlands-Belgium 2000.


Sweden vs Denmark (EURO 2016 playoff)

The duel between two Nordic teams was meant to be a thrilling encounter with goals galore, just like their meeting at the group stage of Euro 2004. At that time, both sides shared spoils and managed to eliminate Italy.

This encounter did end up with goals galore in the second leg, but not as thrilling as expected. In the first leg, Sweden played host and dominated the game with a number of chances from long-range shots and strikes from the six-yard box. Emil Forsberg opened the scoring in the first half as he slotted home to the far post, taking advantage of Mikael Lustig’s pass from the right side. In the second half, Blagut doubled their lead through Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s penalty after missing an attempt from a free kick before the interval. The visitor scored a lifeline from Nicolai Jorgensen's strike on a close range.

In the second half, Christian Eriksen and Co. did begin the match offensively to break the deadlock. Unfortunately, they were the ones who conceded. Ibrahimovic bagged a brace from a close-range shot and a free kick. Danish Dynamite wasted several attempts before Yrary Poulsen’s goal in the 82nd minute plus Jannik Vestergaard’s late equaliser. They could not prevent Blagut from qualifying to France 2016. 

Scotland vs Serbia (Euro 2020 playoff)

This was another tight affair in the playoffs. It was the first time the final format was used at this stage. Scotland had to fly to Belgrade to take on Serbia in the final. They had strived to knock out Israel on penalties after a stalemate at home in the semifinal, whereas the Balkan side picked up a 2-1 win over Norway in Oslo.

The match was not as easy as expected for the home side. They were involved in a tight affair and even conceded first as Ryan Christie scored in the first half. Dusan Tadic and Co. had several chances but failed to capitalise on them until a few seconds before the final whistle. The former Real Madrid and Eintracht Frankfurt’s bagged an equalizer. The match had to go through extra time and eventually penalties. All executors from both teams managed to complete their duty, but one, Serbia’s forward, Alexander Mitrovic, was surprisingly unable to score. His shot was saved by David Marshall. Scotland were through the major international tournament again after 22 years.

Latvia vs Turkey (EURO 2004 playoff)

The Minnow side, Latvia, stunned Turkey in the Euro 2004 playoff. They shocked the 2002 World Cup semifinalist in the first leg with a narrow win. The former Southampton man, Maris Verpakovskis, netted the only goal of the game. In the second leg, Turkey instantly knocked on the door before Ilhan Mansiz finally broke the deadlock in the 20th minute. They even went ahead as Hakan Sukur found the back of the net in the 64th minute. However, Latvia replied with Juris Laizans’ free kick two minutes later, before Maris Verpakovskis silenced the home fans with an equaliser after taking advantage of the long goal kick from the backline. The final score was 2-2, and it was Latvia that secured the last ticket to Portugal 2004. Such remained their only participation in the major tournament.


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